Planners Vote Against Concrete Plant

JAMES CITY (COUNTY) — The Planning Commission denied a developer's request Tuesday night to build a concrete plant adjacent to the Mirror Lakes subdivision.

Residents of the subdivision between Toano and Norge, many of them sporting "NO CEMENT" stickers on their shirts and jackets as they packed the county government center, cheered as the project was denied by a vote of 8-1.

A.G. Bradshaw was the only commission member to vote in favor of rezoning the property and granting a special-use permit to Jack L. Massie Contractor Inc., the company that proposed to build the plant on 51 acres on Cokes Lane off Richmond Road.

Commissioner Gary M. Massie, vice president of the contractor, abstained from the discussion and vote.

Susan McCleary, a Mirror Lakes resident who spoke in opposition to the plant, said 216 residents of her neighborhood and a nearby subdivision had signed a petition urging the commission not to recommend approval to the Board of Supervisors.

McCleary and the other homeowners were concerned about noise, dust and traffic problems that might be generated by the plant's operation. The $15 million development would have included the concrete plant, warehouse and office space and building supplies.

The county planning staff recommended against the project on the grounds that it would be "inconsistent" with the surrounding residential area. The staff recommendation stated that "the overriding concern in this rezoning is this integrity of the Comprehensive Plan," which was approved in 1982 and designed to guide development for 20 years.

Bradshaw pointed out that the commission had deviated from the comprehensive plan several times since its adoption, and he said the promise of tax revenues justified building the plant in an area now designated for low-density residential housing.

Alexander C. Kuras, who earlier in the meeting was elected chairman of the commission, agreed that the county needs to seek out more industrial tax revenue, but he said the concerns of the homeowners outweighed that consideration in this case.

Others expressed concerns about the plant's effect on the environment. Commission member Victoria B. Gussman said she could not support the project because much of the Massie property lies in the Reservoir Protection Overlay District, and the construction would require several special-use permits from that district.